A Shidduch Made In Trenton

The following is my latest column in The Jewish Link of Bergen County, in which I take a look at the New Jersey State Democratic Committee’s newly formed Jewish Caucus:

A SHIDDUCH MADE IN TRENTON

By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.

With just over a week to go before Election Day, over 200 Bergen County Democrats gathered at the Richard Rodda Community Center in Teaneck on Sunday, October 26 for an event sponsored by the newly formed New Jersey State Democratic Committee’s Jewish Caucus.

A number of dignitaries were in attendance at the standing room only event, including Senator Cory Booker, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, New Jersey State Democratic Committee Chairman John Currie, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council Rabbi Jack Moline, congressional candidate Roy Cho, Assemblymen Gordon Johnson and Gary Schaer, Bergen County Democratic Chairman Lou Stellato, Bergen County Freeholder Tracy Silna Zur, Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker, Teaneck Deputy Mayor Elie Y. Katz, Teaneck Councilman Jason Castle, Rabbi Menachem Genack, and Jewish Caucus Co-Chair Rabbi Ben Kelsen.

While enjoying a delectable kosher brunch provided by Sammy’s Bagels of Teaneck, the crowd heard from a number of speakers who discussed the importance and value of the Jewish Caucus.

Following introductory remarks by Steven Goldstein, Deputy Vice Chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee and a Co-Chair of the Jewish Caucus, Senator Weinberg enumerated the reasons why having a Jewish Caucus is so important and emphatically stated that, “my Jewish values shape my public life.”

In an interview with Senator Weinberg, she told me that, “we need to make sure that within the party structure itself in New Jersey and in Bergen County we have an organized voice so that the party structure is always aware of things that are important to the Jewish community.”

“The idea of having a Jewish Caucus is a very positive step,” Senator Weinberg said to me during our conversation. “It’s good for the organized Jewish community to know that there is a place to come to in the event that there are issues relating to state government.”

“I think that we, and I’m talking about the Jewish community, feel at home in the Democratic Party,” she said.

The formation of the Jewish Caucus was spearheaded and supported by Chairman John Currie, who told me that, “it’s about inclusion and being open and getting people to participate.” “Folks are excited to have a voice,” he said.

“Jewish values are Democratic values,” said Chairman Currie. “I’m very excited about the Jewish Caucus.”

“The caucus is a great idea,” Rabbi Jack Moline told me. “I think that there are messages that we need to deliver to constituents to give them sort of a comprehensive idea of why they should be voting as Democrats, rather than voting on specific issues.” “I hope that other states will follow this example,” he said.

“This is a caucus that really excites me more than you all know,” Senator Booker told the crowd. “I’ve had a very interesting Jewish life, if I must say,” he remarked as he discussed his unique connection to Judaism that began during his time as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. “I was discovering myself through the study of Judaism and the Torah.”

“The Democratic values and ideals really resonate with Jewish values,” said Senator Booker. “My hope is that we don’t just talk about things and we don’t just hope about things. This is about a purpose. We have got to be active and engaged.”

After the event concluded, I spoke with Senator Booker about why he believes the Jewish Caucus is so crucial.

“Every time you organize around common ideals and common objectives you increase your strength,” he told me. “I think that with the Jewish voice becoming stronger within the Democratic Party, even more so that it’s been traditionally, and influencing elections and making a difference, I think that really affects policy and helps the interests and the ideas of the community have even more of an impact and more influence.”

I asked Senator Booker how important the Jewish community is in the context of Democratic politics in New Jersey.

“The Jewish community is extraordinarily important,” he said. “The Jewish community has the ability to make a big impact on larger social policy issues.”

“The Jewish community was active in the civil rights movement and helped to dramatically change where we are as a country right now, and the Jewish community has the same potential to make that type of impact today,” said the Senator.

When I spoke with Roy Cho, who is vying to unseat the incumbent Republican Congressman in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District, he immediately drew a parallel between the Democratic Party and the Jewish community.

“A lot of the values that the Jewish community holds dear are values that the Democratic Party also holds very dear,” Cho told me. “From a political perspective, it’s important for us to really focus upon the shared values that the Democratic Party has with the Jewish culture.”

There is no doubt that with the formation of the Jewish Caucus, New Jersey’s large and vibrant Jewish community has a more formal voice in state Democratic politics than ever before. With the steadfast support and enthusiastic backing of some of New Jersey’s most prominent elected officials and leading State Democratic Party officials, it looks like this shidduch made in Trenton between the New Jersey State Democratic Party and the Jewish community is going to bear some wonderful fruit.

N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler